REU Site: Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Nanomaterials and Nanoscience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This new REU Site at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) offers a ten-week summer research program for undergraduate students in the area of functional nanomaterials and nanostructures and makes use of the facilities of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience. Research projects are focused on the synthesis and study of nanoclusters, nanoparticles and nanowires that have potential applications in biomedicine and solar energy conversion, as sensors and catalysts and involve faculty mentors from chemistry, engineering and physics. The program is designed to expose students to multidisciplinary research, impacts of science and technology on society and provide a sense of how broad education is important for a scientific career. The program targets students from primarily undergraduate institutions and will train 30 students over three years. Minority recruitment and fostering of professional skills needed for REU participants to become independent researchers are among the stated goals of this program. Students will work on well-defined, challenging individual projects and will participate in professional development activities such as training to improve communication skills, instruction in instrumentation, introduction to entrepreneurship and technology transfer, Graduate Record Exam preparation, and research symposia. REU participants are also encouraged to present their research at professional society meetings. This REU Site program is funded by the Division of Materials Research in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.